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Sunday, February 21, 2010

Drill Press Tortillas ( I need a life) lol

I need to explain this one. :)

I have the strangest dreams..... Sometimes I lay awake at night thinking of things to do, projects to make.. like my smokehouse, outdoor bar, cookers, etc..Sometimes my night dreams are stranger than my day dreams. :)One night last summer I dreamed I was making tortillas with my drill press. Just whipping them out one after another... pulling the handle down and pressing them into nice, flat, round circles.When I woke up I couldn't leave it alone, couldn't forget about it.....

So.... I had to give it a try. :)

I cut two plates out of plastic cutting boards...

Since the drill press would be rotating, I wanted the bottom plate to rotate with the top. I thought it would keep the dough from tearing while being pressed.I used some hardware for a folding door. Attached the ring to the plate and inserted the spring loaded pivot piece.

This fits in the hole on the bottom table of my drill press....

The top plate was different. I needed to make a "shank" long enough so the top plate wouldn't touch the rotating drill press handle.

Using what I had on hand, I combined a bolt and quick change drill adaptor... heck it worked. lol

Made my dough....

covered the drill press in plastic....

placed a sheet of waxed paper on the bottom plate, added my ball of dough, then another sheet of waxed paper on top....

It worked..............just like my dream. :)

I countersunk the bolt on the top plate, but it still left a divot in the tortilla. I didn't mind. lol

Now the decision to be made was.... should we eat them or not?

My friends and I decided that we have eaten some "iffy" meals while fishing and camping, these drill press tortillas looked pretty tame.

I heated up the wok, some oil, onions and garlic....

added smoked brisket that was marinaded in Andria's steak sauce......

threw in the drill press tortillas....

it was a cold and foggy day....

I have to say, those were the best Drill Press Tortillas I've ever eaten in my life. :)

Jeannie--I must have missed something in your writeup. why would the drill press be rotating? If both plates are rotating together, wouldn't you get the same results by not turning the press on? Just use the leverage to flatten your dough?

I suppose you could also use a bearing press to make thinner tortillas...

Cowgirl you crack me up!That looks great... Yes you definitely have cabin fever.... Having been in a restaurant kitchen for many years like Chez I can tell you that there are a lot of unconventional tools that are used depending on the kitchen. Chainsaw ice carvings have been around for ever. Most tools are used when making food displays but I have seen cordless drills and a wire brush attached used in cleaning full sheet pans before being washed commercially. Band saws for cutting pork steaks and steaks..... Just use equipment with new blades and keep them clean.. I have for the most part retired for the restaurant stuff and just play now... 24 days until spring!!!!!

I am new to the blogging world and have spent some very interesting time following your blogs. I really have enjoyed your blogs they are to the point and full of good information. Keep up the good work!

Why is there a South Beach Diet Ad right below that last picture of the stuffed Drill Press Tortilla??? "I lost 20 lbs on the South Beach Diet" Uh huh, maybe, but you weren't eating the pron shown above!

Looks fabulous... sorry I haven't been around for awhile, I moved to the US Virgin Islands (I still giggle when I say that) for six months, and it is taking awhile to get settled. But i do think I am caught up, and will be back reading each of your new posts as usual...

..thanks for the response. Are these aluminum woks any better than the iron-cast griddles for making tortillas. I wanna try home-made flour tortillas (1st timer) and was wondering if there would be any difference in taste using one utensil over the other. thanks once again.

You're welcome Anonymous! :)I usually use cast iron for tortillas.. I have a griddle and several skillets that work great. I just used the wok because it was already hot. If I could only have one pan for tortillas, I'd go with cast iron.

If you need a flour tortilla recipe, here is an easy one that I use........I mix 2 cups of flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

Mix well then add

1 Tablespoon of lard (or shortening)

Mix well then add

1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of warm water

Mix and form into ball, let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes

roll or press out and heat in a pan for a few minutes on each side.

There are pictures posted of how I make them under "Georgia Brunswick Stew" in the recipe section here.

..many thanks for the recipe @ cowgirl. Last question- if you wanted to prepare fresh home-made tortillas for an outdoor party of about 50 people would you still use your cast iron griddle/skillet, your wok, or the discada (considering the fact that you can use a discada to make tortillas of course)? Cheers.

You're welcome Anonymous..I would use the cast iron griddle just because I could make more tortillas at a time. :)After frying the tortillas, they need to either be stored in plastic baggies or wrapped to keep them moist and pliable.

To reheat them, you can wrap a stack of them in foil and heat in an oven on low.

A little late but I am new here, still had to comment. The dangdest thing I ever seen!! You had a strange dream but you made it come true! While in Houston I actually seen an automatic tortilla maker. A gas fired oven, framed in glass, they put the dough in the top. t pressed them & dropped on rotating paddles that went to the bottom baking as it went & dropped into a basket. Now I can just see Jeanie coming up with one! :) Smokin Don

I need a drill press in my kitchen for nothing but food prep. Using a De Walt hand drill is a little hard to get the holes straight in pineapples. Convincing my wife that I'm not ready for an asylum may put the brakes on it.

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About Me

Born and raised in the country, I Love wide open spaces.
Enjoy camping, fishing, hunting, and any form of outdoor cooking, hot, warm and cold smoking. Preserving what I hunt, catch, raise or forage. I enjoy being able to provide food for my table.
I'm thankful for each day and will never take anything for granted.
Thanks for stopping by!

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